“These billions of tonnes of additional carbon dioxide in our atmosphere will remain there for centuries, causing our planet to warm further and impacting on all aspects of life on earth [sic],” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement.

“Future emissions will only compound the situation,” he cautioned.

The WMO report placed the blame squarely on human activities including fossil fuel use, cattle breeding, rice agriculture, landfills and biomass burning. Five major gases emitted in such practices account for 96 percent of the warming climate the groups said.